Alabama. Week 16

We've been seeing the history of the south firsthand by touring many museums and places of remembrance. One of our first stops this week was Fred Shuttlesworth's church in Alabama. If you are not familiar with this name, he was a black pastor during the Civil Rights movement. His church and home were bombed 3 times by the KKK.

One bombing happened in the night while he and his family were asleep. Would you believe the roof blew off the house, and yet no one was harmed?! When warned to leave the city, he responded, "Tell your Klan brothers that if God could save me through this, they'll have to come up with something better. So the fight's on" I love this man.

Below are pictures of the church he once pastored and a white entrance structure next to it is where his home once stood.

I've also added a couple photos of the newer building along with the pastor we meet with who knew Shuttlesworth and has served at that location for over 25 years.

While in Montgomery, Alabama we visited the state capitol and "The First White House of The Confederacy." Josh was also interviewed by a local TV station doing a segment on the state capital finally fixing the bell on the tower.  

The next day, we visited Tuskegee University where we saw the works of George Washington Carver (a man born a slave who became a scientist). He was "adopted" by a man who believed in him and nurtured a love of learning in gardening and teaching others what he had learned. He is famous for finding multiple uses of the peanut plant.

While at the university we also toured Booker T. Washington's place of residence while he held the title of President of the university (also born a slave). He brought the university into the prominence it holds today.

The home was the first in the area to have electricity and indoor plumbing, not to mention, the most ostentatious house in the neighborhood, and possibly the city. This was important to demonstrate to both whites and blacks that African Americans could accomplish far more than anyone gave them credit for.

It was wonderful to learn that these black men born into slavery, overcame so much and worked hard to serve others and set an example for many blacks of what they can accomplish with great adversity behind them and in their foreseeable futures.

Our last stop in Georgia was a church that Martin Luther King Jr pastored from 1954-1960.  During our time in Tennessee, we attended the Civil Rights Museum that is built within the hotel of where he was shot to death. We hope to see his burial site while we are in Georgia this week.

That is three different states where you can visibly see he had an impact. (Tennessee - where he was shot, Alabama - where he pastored, and Georgia where he was born and buried). We know it was much, much greater than that, but I still feel honored to see all 3 sites and pay our respects to a man who fought for what is right and taught the love of God to others.

We are staying with friends this week who are very gracious hosts and wonderful people. I will be posting another entry soon so y'all can see the fun stuff we've been up to in Georgia!

Marilyn